<body><div class="booster-block booster-read-block">
 <div class="twp-read-time">
 	<i class="booster-icon twp-clock"></i> <span>Read Time:</span>3 Minute, 18 Second </div>

 </div>
<h5 class="wp-block-heading"><strong>Poet, essayist and story-teller <em>Efe-khaese Rinse Desmond</em></strong> has won the <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wrr.ng/news/bppc-april-2019/" target="_blank">April 2019 edition</a> of the monthly Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest (BPPC) which was themed<em> ‘HUMAN HERITAGE – THE COMMONWEALTH OF HUMANITY’</em>. </h5>



<p class="has-drop-cap">Efe-khaese Rinse Desmond is a young Nigerian writer passionate about animal and societal welfare and the value of true feminism. His stories mirror the issues he feels are not given enough recognition. He was the first runner-up at the African Poetry Contest 2017 and was recently shortlisted for the Chronicles Short Fiction Prize 2018.</p>



<p>Desmond won the contest with his poem on cultural reawakening <em>‘THE EIGHTH WONDER’</em>. Narrowly missing out on the top spot again, <em>Emmanuel Faith</em> was First Runner-Up again for his poem <em>‘AN EPISTLE TO HUMANITY’</em>. He had emerged 1st-runner-up and 2nd runner-up respectively in the February and March editions. The April 3rd spot went to <em>‘TO BE LIVING IS TO BE WATERED’</em> by <em>Oladimeji Adam Adedayo</em>.</p>



<p>Below is the winning poem:</p>



<h4 class="wp-block-heading">THE EIGHTH WONDER by Efe-khaese Rinse Desmond</h4>



<pre class="wp-block-verse">Mend your wings and visit the temple of humanity's history! <br> Inhale: <br> There you find in mummified archives the leprous flesh of our selective race. <br> Stroke your fingers across the pages of what we once called home. <br> Exhale:<br> You see eyes that watered the still mass of dead sons and daughters; <br> You see mouldy maggots that spring from festered wounds <br> To rule our quarters; <br> You see hallowed giants haunting the pockets of the hapless, <br> And the workaday man searching for the daily bread, returning helpless.<br> <br> Within the thick stripes of decay, <br> You are aroused by a song which causes your eyes to sore, <br> A song we sing to pass down our African heritage. <br> And if you are keen and see past what is seen, <br> You find within humanity's decaying mould<br> A beating heart, an aging peace, <br> Held in place by the rib cage of communal treasures <br> Beyond the dark past and smoky future!<br> You see the strings of Ijele hopping alongside the sounds of reggae, <br> Calling out to the dance steps of Gule Wamkulu...<br> <br> But while we trace the lines of slave chains upon our father's necks, <br> We deny ourselves from gracing Iqhiya <br> Made by hands we describe as sad...hands that salted the seas <br> Of Argungu, turned into an annual playground of excitement;<br> We fail to see the kneading of offspring by the feet of Osun renditions, <br> And we forget, amongst the treasures of our common pot, <br> That if we tell these tales like poetic dirges, <br> We fail to teach the history of our heritage...the eighth wonder. </pre>



<div style="height:20px" aria-hidden="true" class="wp-block-spacer"></div>



<hr class="wp-block-separator">



<h6 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:center"><strong>YOU CAN READ ALL THE TOP 30 POEMS IN ‘<a href="https://www.wrr.ng/download/the-8th-wonder-bppc/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="'THE 8TH WONDER' (opens in a new tab)">‘THE 8TH WONDER’</a>‘ CHAPBOOK AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD BELOW.</strong></h6>



<p style="text-align:center" class="has-background has-very-light-gray-background-color"><div class='w3eden'><!-- WPDM Link Template: Default Template -->

<div class="link-template-default card mb-2">
 <div class="card-body">
 <div class="media">
 <div class="mr-3 img-48"><img class="wpdm_icon" alt="Icon" src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/plugins/download-manager/assets/file-type-icons/pdf.svg" /></div>
 <div class="media-body">
 <h3 class="package-title"><a href='https://www.wrr.ng/download/the-8th-wonder-bppc/'>THE 8TH WONDER - BPPC APRIL 2019 TOP 30 POEMS</a></h3>
 <div class="text-muted text-small"><i class="fas fa-copy"></i> 1 file(s) <i class="fas fa-hdd ml-3"></i> 1.02 MB</div>
 </div>
 <div class="ml-3">
 <a class='wpdm-download-link download-on-click btn btn-primary ' rel='nofollow' href='#' data-downloadurl="https://www.wrr.ng/download/the-8th-wonder-bppc/?wpdmdl=37067&refresh=693244d96f2bf1764902105">Download</a>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
</div>

</div></p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator">



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><img sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/Desmond-Efe-khaese-1024x1024.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-37063" loading="lazy"></figure></div>



<p class="has-drop-cap"> Desmond will be awarded the N8000 prize money and, alongside the other TOP 10 finalists from February to September 2019, will be automatically entered for the 2019 <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/csr/albert-jungers-poetry-prize-ajpp/">ALBERT JUNGERS POETRY PRIZE</a> (AJPP) in addition to receiving a certificate and a copy of the BPPC 2019 anthology at the Words Rhymes &; Rhythm Literary Festival 2019. All the top 10 poems for the 2018 Season will be published in the BPPC 2019 anthology while the top 30 poems are featured in <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wrr.ng/download/the-8th-wonder-bppc/" target="_blank">‘THE 8TH WONDER’</a> chapbook. The finalists will also each receive certificates at the Words Rhymes &; Rhythm Literary Festival held in December every year.</p>



<hr class="wp-block-separator">



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:center"><a href="https://www.wrr.ng/news/bppc-may-2019/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">CLICK HERE TO ENTER FOR THE MAY 2019 EDITION</a></h2>



<hr class="wp-block-separator">



<h5 class="wp-block-heading" style="text-align:left">The<a href="https://wrr.ng/csr/bppc/"> BRIGITTE POIRSON POETRY CONTEST</a>, a brainchild of Words Rhymes &; Rhythm (WRR), is a monthly writing contest aimed at rewarding the under-appreciated talent of young Nigerian poets. It was instituted in February 2015 in honor of Brigitte Poirson, a French poet and lecturer, editor, who has over the years worked assiduously to promote and support African poetry. Now in its third season as one of the few credible contests for poets, the BPPC has since grown to be one of country’s most popular, especially among the younger poets.</h5>



<div class="wp-block-image"><figure class="aligncenter"><a href="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/BPPC-LOGO1.jpg"><img sizes="(max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px" src="https://www.wrr.ng/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/BPPC-LOGO1.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-34519" loading="lazy"></a></figure></div>



<p></p>
 
 <div class="booster-block booster-author-block">
 <div class="be-author-details layout-square align-left">
 <div class="be-author-wrapper">
 <div class="booster-row">
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-two booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="be-author-image">
 <img alt="" src="https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/3de36b6da89639b3d80d015f84d2cfc35212bb0678ceb13c46dc8c712831d196?s=400&;d=mm&;r=g" class="avatar avatar-400 photo avatar-img" height="400" width="400" loading="lazy"> </div>
 </div>
 <div class="booster-column booster-column-eight booster-column-mobile">
 <div class="author-details">
 <header class="twp-plugin-title twp-author-title">
 <h2>About Post Author</h2>
 </header>
 <h4 class="be-author-meta be-author-name">
 <a href="https://www.wrr.ng/author/admin/" class="booster-url-link">
 Words Rhymes &; Rhythm </a>
 </h4>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-email">
 <a href="mailto:%20info@wrr.ng" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-envelope"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M0 3v18h24v-18h-24zm6.623 7.929l-4.623 5.712v-9.458l4.623 3.746zm-4.141-5.929h19.035l-9.517 7.713-9.518-7.713zm5.694 7.188l3.824 3.099 3.83-3.104 5.612 6.817h-18.779l5.513-6.812zm9.208-1.264l4.616-3.741v9.348l-4.616-5.607z"></path></svg></span>info@wrr.ng </a>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-meta be-author-url">
 <a href="https://wrr.ng/about-us/" target="_blank" class="booster-url-link">
 <span class="booster-svg-icon booster-svg-sphere"><svg class="booster-svg" aria-hidden="true" role="img" focusable="false" viewbox="0 0 24 24" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="24" height="24"><path fill="currentColor" d="M 11.25 1.5 C 5.035156 1.5 0 6.535156 0 12.75 C 0 18.964844 5.035156 24 11.25 24 C 17.464844 24 22.5 18.964844 22.5 12.75 C 22.5 6.535156 17.464844 1.5 11.25 1.5 Z M 17.617188 16.5 C 17.816406 15.550781 17.941406 14.546875 17.984375 13.5 L 20.972656 13.5 C 20.894531 14.535156 20.652344 15.542969 20.253906 16.5 Z M 4.882812 9 C 4.683594 9.949219 4.558594 10.953125 4.515625 12 L 1.527344 12 C 1.605469 10.964844 1.847656 9.957031 2.246094 9 Z M 16.078125 9 C 16.304688 9.960938 16.441406 10.964844 16.484375 12 L 12 12 L 12 9 Z M 12 7.5 L 12 3.109375 C 12.34375 3.210938 12.679688 3.375 13.011719 3.609375 C 13.636719 4.050781 14.230469 4.726562 14.738281 5.566406 C 15.085938 6.148438 15.386719 6.796875 15.640625 7.5 Z M 7.761719 5.566406 C 8.269531 4.726562 8.863281 4.050781 9.488281 3.609375 C 9.820312 3.375 10.15625 3.207031 10.5 3.109375 L 10.5 7.5 L 6.859375 7.5 C 7.113281 6.792969 7.414062 6.148438 7.761719 5.566406 Z M 10.5 9 L 10.5 12 L 6.015625 12 C 6.058594 10.964844 6.195312 9.960938 6.421875 9 Z M 2.246094 16.5 C 1.847656 15.542969 1.605469 14.535156 1.527344 13.5 L 4.515625 13.5 C 4.558594 14.546875 4.683594 15.550781 4.882812 16.5 Z M 6.015625 13.5 L 10.5 13.5 L 10.5 16.5 L 6.421875 16.5 C 6.195312 15.539062 6.058594 14.535156 6.015625 13.5 Z M 10.5 18 L 10.5 22.390625 C 10.15625 22.289062 9.820312 22.125 9.488281 21.890625 C 8.863281 21.449219 8.269531 20.773438 7.761719 19.933594 C 7.414062 19.351562 7.113281 18.703125 6.859375 18 Z M 14.738281 19.933594 C 14.230469 20.773438 13.636719 21.449219 13.011719 21.890625 C 12.679688 22.125 12.34375 22.292969 12 22.390625 L 12 18 L 15.640625 18 C 15.386719 18.707031 15.085938 19.351562 14.738281 19.933594 Z M 12 16.5 L 12 13.5 L 16.484375 13.5 C 16.441406 14.535156 16.304688 15.539062 16.078125 16.5 Z M 17.984375 12 C 17.945312 10.953125 17.816406 9.949219 17.617188 9 L 20.253906 9 C 20.652344 9.957031 20.894531 10.964844 20.972656 12 Z M 19.46875 7.5 L 17.222656 7.5 C 16.785156 6.121094 16.179688 4.914062 15.457031 3.949219 C 16.453125 4.429688 17.355469 5.066406 18.144531 5.855469 C 18.648438 6.359375 19.089844 6.910156 19.46875 7.5 Z M 4.355469 5.855469 C 5.144531 5.066406 6.046875 4.429688 7.042969 3.949219 C 6.320312 4.914062 5.714844 6.121094 5.277344 7.5 L 3.03125 7.5 C 3.410156 6.910156 3.851562 6.359375 4.355469 5.855469 Z M 3.03125 18 L 5.277344 18 C 5.714844 19.378906 6.320312 20.585938 7.042969 21.550781 C 6.046875 21.070312 5.144531 20.433594 4.355469 19.644531 C 3.851562 19.140625 3.410156 18.589844 3.03125 18 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 C 17.355469 20.433594 16.453125 21.070312 15.457031 21.550781 C 16.179688 20.585938 16.785156 19.378906 17.222656 18 L 19.46875 18 C 19.089844 18.589844 18.648438 19.140625 18.144531 19.644531 Z M 18.144531 19.644531 "></path></svg></span>https://wrr.ng/about-us/ </a>
 </div>
 </div>
 <div class="be-author-profiles">
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </div>
 </body>
EFE-KHAESE RINSE DESMOND WINS BPPC APRIL 2019
